Means for securing flexible tires to motor-car and like wheel rims.



No. 889,098. PATENTED DEC. 25, 1906.

E BIRGHALL. v MEANS FOR SECURING FLEXIBLE TIRES T0 MOTOR CAR AND LIKE WHEEL RIMS. APPLICATION FILED JANA, 19 0 6.

N w M M E flexible tire to be drawn ofi placed onthe rim and the wheel 35 umnflated condition until repairs can be "STATES PATENT FIOE. Ali FRED BIROHALL, or LivERPooL, ENGLAND. MEANS rosszcumue FLEXIBLE TIRES .TO MOTOR-CARY AND LIKE WHEEL RIMS.

imas'aooa,

Speeifieationof Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1906.

Application filed January 6, 1906- Serial No 294,966-

To all. whom it may concern.- I

Be it known that .I, ALFRED BIRoHALL, a

subect of the King of Great Britain and Irelan residing at Liverpool, in the county of 5 Lancaster, England, have invented Improvements in and Relating to Means for-Securing I means for securing pneumatic or other flexible tires to wheels of motor-cars and other vehicles, and has for its object to provide a simple arrangement whereby it is only neces- Y sary to withdraw, say, one locking-bolt, after I which a retaining-flange onone side of the wheel-mm 'canbe slightly rotated and at once removed, thus allowing the complete the Wheel-rim without straining the retainingedges, as is;

the case when removing a pneumatic-tire casin from the usual form of grooved Wheel-rim. n my arrangement no special tools are re qulred, such as prizmg-levers, which are a t I to damage the inner air-tube unless careful y handled, and, further, the arrangement is sue 1 that should the air-tube burst and be beyond repair when on the road it, with the tirecasin may be bodily removed from the wheel-rim, and in substitution for the inflated air-tube the tire-casing can be tightly packed to its roper size with any material that may be at and-such as straw old rope, earth, sand, or the likeso that the tire can be rerun inits I eflected or a new air-tube fitted, there being no risk of the casin spreading out on the road and becomin cut ythe flanges of the wheelmm, as woul otherwise occur when run in a deflated condition. The tire when packedmay he slid bodily into the Wheel-rim and the loose retaining-flange replaced. 'In case of accident a spare solid-rubberring to take theplace of the pneumatic tube may be cari ried, or a s0lidrubber tire of practically the same section as the pneumatic tire when inflated may be employed when the tire-casing is seriously damaged and cannot be used.

In the accompanying illustrative drawings, Figure 1 shows in side elevation the rim or fel y of a Wheel suitable for a motor-vehicle, having'a pneumatic tire arranged and secured in place according to one arrangement for car-. rymg this invention intopractice. 'iFig. 2.-is

a side elevation showing the removable-rings ,nge separately. Fig. 3 1S a cross-section,

to an enlarged scale,-corresponding to the line A B of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a similar view to Fig. 3, showing the air-tube removed, as in consequence of damage thereto -packing being sub stituted therefor. Fig. 5 is a cross-section, to an enlarged scale, corresponding to'the line C D of Fig. 1 and Fig. 6 shows a plate with holes formed therein and inserted in the Wooden Wheel-run for levering over the removable ring-flange.

. The wheel rim or felly a, which'is referably of wood, is formed with a num er of holes, which .are bored atequal distances apart around the and are ada t ed'to re-' ceive screw-threaded bolts orstu s b for securing to the sides of the rim a two annular flanges 'c'and cl, which Ina be stamped out of sheet-steel to the desire the i'ingflanges c and d is made somewhat larger in-diarneter externally than the wheelrim a and has is outer peri -heral edge (which section. Each of projects beyond the whee -rim, owing to its larger diameter) suitably curved over, as at c and d, to engage the dovetailed shape of the retaining ,edge e of the tire-casing e.-

The flanges c and (1 therefore form the retaining-flanges forthe tire.

One of the flanges-viz., cis' erma-- ncntly secured to the side of the whee -rim a which is the nearer to the vehicle-body in use, as by means of the bolts 6, which are provided with locking-nuts f. The other flange d is removable and has suitable holes 9, widerat one end than at the other, formed therein to correspond. to the bolts 1), the heads I) and suflicient ofthe body part of the bolts projecting past the side of the wooden rim or felly a to allow the flange d to he slipped over the bolt-head and to be slightly rotated, so that the narrower holes 9 will passund'e'r the heads of the bolts. The flange (1 is locked in, the position into which it is so turned by inserting a lockingbolt h through holes in the removableflange d,

the wheel-rim a, and the fixed ring-flange c, and so bindin the flanges and felly to gether. (See Fig. 5.)

To assist in partly rotating the flange (1 into a osition from which it can be removed lateral y free of the projectingfbolts b, a pro- 1 jection 'i is proyidednpon the flange d, and a suitable plate 2, having a number of holes h formed in it, as shown in Fig.6, is inserted flush with the wooden wheelsrim, (see Fig. 5,) and corresponding therewith a hole is iormedin the.ring-flange, which hole may conveniently be, as represented, the hole intended tor the looking-bolt h, the arrangement being such that the end of a screwdriver or otherconvenient tool may be inserted through the said hole, so as to be en gaged in one or other of the holes h for the purpose of prizing or levering the ring-flange d along in either directiontor the required angular distance, I

Each bolt-head b has a groove b into which the removableflange d is adapted to fit. This is shown clearly in Figs. 3 and at and is for the purpose of permitting the bolts to be drawn and locked tightly in place with.-

out exerting any clamping action on the flange d. It will be observed that themner portions of the heads .of the bolts are embedded iii the rim sufticiently to bring the grooves in the heads in line with the surface of the rim, so that the movable ring shall lie larged parts of the holes gtherein are oppo-- site the heads of the retaining-bolts b, and it can then be slipped over the said heads and the complete flexible tire removed from the wheel-rim. As shown in Fig. 4, an india-rubber ring 7c has been substituted for a damaged air-tube.

The number and arrangement of the retaming-bolts will of course be varied to suit various classes of wheel-ri ms without (leparture from the essential features ot .my invention, and the pitch of these bolts or studs may be slightly varied. from that of the holes in the-removable ring-flange, so that instead of the heads of all the bolts engaging with the ring-flange simultaneously they may each engage alternately or in order as the rim is V moved slightly around.

As shown in Fig. 2, the lengths of the en-- larged portions of the slotted holes 9 in the removable ring-flange d are gradually increased trom one hole to the next and the smaller portions thereof correspgmdingly diminished, the full lengths ot the said holes being the same throughout.

As shown, one series of bolts bis made to serve for securing both the fixed and the removable ring-flanges e (Z, the heads b being formed, as described, with a groove 6 in which-the removable ring-flange d is adapted to be engaged, and the :liXed'ring-flango e being' secured by means of the'nuts], fitted on the screwed ends thereof.

What I claim is'- 1. In a vehicle-wheel, a rim or telly, a removable tire, means fixed to said rim and adapted to engage said tire at one side ot said rim or telly, groovedlheaded projections on the other side ot said rim or telly, and a removable ring engaging the grooves in the headset said projectiohs and the other side of said tire and ada )ted after being rotated through a small angle to become disengaged from said headed projections so that it can be i'removed laterally from the wheel rim or telly.

2. In a vehicle-wheel, a rim. or telly, a removable tire, means fixed to said rim and adapted to engage said tire at one side ol said rim or telly, grooved headed projections on the other side ot said rim or telly, a removable ring engaging the grooves in the heads of said projections and the other side of said tire and adapted after being rotated through a small angle to beeome disengaged -from said headed n'ojections so that it can be removed laterzlly from the wheel rim or telly, and means whereby said removable ring is fixed in the tire-securing position but can be liberated therefrom.

3. In a vehicle-wheel, a rim or telly, a removable tire, means fixed to said rim and adapted to engage said tire at one side ot said rim or telly, grooved headed projections on the other side of said rim or telly, and a rcmovable ring which. is termed with openings each having a narrow and a wide part and which engages the other side of said tire and also the grooves in the heads of said projections which enter through the narrow parts of said openings, and which is further adapted, by being rotated through a small angle, to bring said 'irojeetions into the wide parts of said openings and so become disengaged from the heads thereof.

4. In a vehiclehvheel, a rim or telly, a removable tire, means fixed to said rim or telly and adapted to engage said tire at one side of said rim or telly, headed bolts extending through said rim or telly and having their heads grooved, nuts on. said side of said rim or telly and securing said bolts therein, and a removable ring engaging the grooves in. the heads ot said bolts and the other side of the tire andv adapted after being rotated through a small angle to become disengaged from said bolt-heads so that it can be moved laterally trom the wheel rim or telly. I

. 5. In a vehicle-wheel, a rim or telly, a removable tire, a ren'iovable'llange fixed to said. rim or telly and adapted to engage said tire at one side of said rim or telly, headed bolts tormcd'with grooves in their heads and extending through said flange and rim or telly, nuts on said side of said rim or telly and securing said bolts therein and the llango to the rim, and a removable ring engaging in said grooves in the bolt-heads and also ongaging the other side ot the tire and adapted after being rotated through a small angle to become disengaged from said bolt-luiads so that it can be moved laterally from the wheel rim or telly.

in a vehicle-wheel, a rim or telly, a revinovabie tire, a removable llange fixed to said rim and adapted to engage said tire at one side of said rim or felly, grooved headed rojections on the other-side of said rim or elly, a removable ring engaging the grooved heads of said projections and the other side of said tire and ada ted after being rotated througha small ang e to become disengaged from said headedprojections so that it can be removed laterally from the Wheel rim or felly, and a projection formed on said removable ring whereby it can be movedf'rom one position to another. v

7'. In a vehicle-wheel, a rim'or felly, a reinovable tire, means fixed to said rim and adapted to engage saidtire at one side of said rim or felly, headed rojeotions on the other side ofcsaid rim or elly, a removable ring'engaging' theheads of said projections and the other side of said t're and adapted after being rotated through i -small ang e to become disengaged from said headed projec-- tions so that it can be removed laterally from the Wheel rim or ielly, and a plate having one or morev holes formed in it fitted into being formedwith an opening so that a tool can be inserted in a hole of the saidplate for the purpose of prizing or levering the removable ringl'rom one position to another.

8. In a vehicle-wheelfa rim or felly, a renovable' tire, means -:fixed to said rim and adapted to engage said tire at 'onedside of said rim or felly, headed projections, on the other side ofsaid rim or fell and a removable ring which is formed wit openings each hav: ing a.narrow and a wide art and'ivhich en-J the openings insaid' p gages the other side of said tire and also the maze.

heads of said projections WhlOh enter through the wide parts of said openings, and which 1s further adapted, by being rotated 7 through a small angle, to bring said projec-n o tions into the narrow parts of said 0 enin and thus lock the ring to the folly, t e eportions of the openings in said removable ring being of different lengths. and the headed projections being arranged at a pitch differ- 45 ing from that of the said openings so that in I rotating the ring to disengage it the headed- PIOjQCtlOIlS. will become disengaged from the removable ring-successively.

adapted to engage said tire at that side headed projections on the other side of said rim, a removable ring-flange enga ing the 1 heads of said projections and the 'ot er side-5'5 of .said tire and adapted to be disengaged ring-flange and through one of the holes in i said plate. I t

Signed at 26 Chapel street, Liver 001, in

the county of Lancaster, England, t s 21st dayiof December, 1905.

v ALFRED BIRCHALL'.

Witnesses:

F. M. OI Soo'rr, H. WATSON.

9. In a vehicle-Wheel, a mm, a removahleg-fioliif t1 re,a flange fixed to said mm at one side and Q 

